His Eminence Abuna Yesehaq

The Good Shepherd of Israel

Africa

Baptism

A regeneration and is the sacramentthrough which a person is born again and is accepted into the membership of the church after being baptized by the pouring on or immersion in water three times in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

AUTOCEPHALLY

Indigenous Church

The Liberation of the Church

From the beginning the Ethiopian church was affiliated with the See of Saint Mark of Alexandria. After Abba Selama first bishop of Ethiopia, died, Egyptian bishops from Alexandria were appointed to head the Ethiopian church. This continued until the time of Emperor Haile Selassie I.

The Turkish Invasion

About 1528 – 1540 A.D Ahmed Gran led the Turks in a terrible battle against the Ethiopian Christians. Ahmed Gran, an Ethiopian citizen but Moslem, was born in Harrar to the South of Ethiopia. Assisted by all forces of Islam, he attacked the country from one end to the other and successfully opposed the Christians.

Jesuits The Offensive Mission

After the death of Ahmed Gran there was a gradual deterioration of harmony between the two types of Christians, Ethiopians and Catholics.

the church is the people and the people the church and the government is of the people..

The Sacramental Theology

There are seven sacraments (mysteries) in the Church:Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Communion, Unction of the Sick, Matrimony and Holy Orders. According to the teaching of the Ethiopian Church: “…The Sacraments are holy ordinance through which the believer receives an invisible grace under the form of an outward sign.” And in the performance of each sacrament the Divine Majesty Himself is present.

Baptism

A regeneration and is the sacramentthrough which a person is born again and is accepted into the membership of the church after being baptized by the pouring on or immersion in water three times in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
It is listed as the first sacrament because it is considered the door through which the believer enters the church and the Kingdom of Grace, accordingly to what was said by the Lord Eyesus Kristos (John 3:5). Baptism brings salvation: “…even baptism does now save us”(1 Peter 3:21);“ He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved”(Mark 16:16).
The Ethiopian Church believes that baptism was commanded, directed and instituted by our Lord Eyesus Kristos, as all Christian Churches agree. It is the firm belief of the church that the original sin of the person is driven out through this sacrament. The person is then committed to the Christian cause as a citizen in the Kingdom of God, and a new life is bestowed upon the person.

Mateb (Neck Cord)

Mateb is given to the candidate during baptism.The priest must bless it before he ties it around the neck of the candidate. Mateb, which is worn by all Christians, is the badge of faith. It is made of a black, blue or white silken cord, carrying a cross to signify the Crucifixion of Christ.
There are at least two important uses of the mark:

To distinguish Christians from Moslems and pagans

As a guard against evil spirits

Confirmation

The first three sacraments– baptism, confirmation and communion – are administered one after the other on the same occasion. Confirmation is received immediately after baptism to signify the Holy Spirit’s decent upon the Lord Christ directly after baptism (Mathew 3:16) Through confirmation, the believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit: “ But ye have been anointed by the Holy One, and ye know all things.”(1 John 2:20)

Penance

The sacrament of Penance is necessary for repentance and sorrow for sins committed. It is administered before receiving Holy Communion;“ Let a man examine himself, and let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation unto himself not discerning the Lord’s body”(1 Corinthians 11:28-29). “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins maybe blotted out”(Acts 3:19). Through this sacrament, remission of sins and reconciliation with God are granted (Luke 15:18-24; John 8:11, 6:37, 1 Timothy 2:4; Acts 3:19).

The Lord's Supper

The Ethiopian Church through the ages has regarded the Lord’s Supper as the supreme act of life, when devout believers hold intimate communion with their Living Lord through the consecrated elements of bread and wine.
This is not the manna that Israel ate in the wilderness, the Holy Communion, the Lord’s Table, the Eucharist, the Flesh and Blood of Christ: “ Verily, Verily I say onto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven but my Father giveth you the true bread from Heaven” (John 6:32)“ This is the bread which came down from Heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead; he that eateth of this bread shall live forever” (John 6:58).
This sacrament brings true and eternal life to the believer: “ Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. He that eateth of this bread shall live forever” (John 6:54-58) “ except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53).
The Ethiopian church believes that Our Lord Eyesus Kristos is present in this sacrament, not by way of granting His Grace, but by actually being there in the form of bread and Wine.

Matrimony

The sacrament of Matrimonyis important for the Life of mankind. It is holy and ordained by God. Through it the husband and wife are united and given divine grace that sanctifies their union and makes perfect and spiritual, like the unity of Christ and the Church. This order is significant not only for the life of the couple but further demands the moral support and protection of all nations and their states. Moreover the Kingdom of God and the church are involved in this great mystery. Marriage is important for at least three reasons:

For the propagation of humanity as it was commanded: “ Be fruitful and multiply.”

To keep man and woman from the temptation of carnal lust.

For the good relationship and mutual help between husband and wife.

The intention of marriage is that one husband should have one wife and one wife should have one husband.
It is a gift for the preservation of man’s health in this world and for his salvation in the world to come.

Holy Orders

This is the sacrament for ordaining and consecrating the clergy. Through this sacrament, the ordained clergy are granted a divine gift appropriate for the various services to which they are called:“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands”(2 Timothy 1:6). “ Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of hands in the presbytery.”(1 Timothy 4:14).
The institution of this sacrament took place: First, when our Lord Eyesus Kristos appointed the twelve apostles and seventy disciples; second, when he commanded the apostles to preach and baptize all nations (Mathew 28:19-20); third, when Saint Paul said that it was Christ Himself who appointed some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).

Saint Yared

In the ancient northern capital city of Ethiopia there lived for the most part of his life one of the greatest Ethiopian saints. He was the son of pureblooded Ethiopians, Abyud (Isaac) and Christina, this saint "...whom we know as Yared," is the composer of the great sacred music of the church and is without equal to this day. Yared was born about A.D 505 in Axum, a son to a wealthy Christian family. When Yared was about seven years old his father died and he went to live with his Uncle Gedewon, who was at the time the gabaz (treasurer) of the Axum Tsion (Zion) Church. Yared’s uncle imparted to him a formidable knowledge of theology, natural history and music. He was an excellent student, and within a period of twenty – five years he had acquired a vast knowledge of music. After Gedewon died, Yared took over the great responsibility of replacing his uncle. He also became a professor of theology, including the Old and New Testaments. He was ordained deacon; then he married and later was ordained priest, as is customary. Yared became communicating with the nine monks. Abba Pantelewon, one of the nine remained in Axum, and thus communication between him and Yared was convenient. Yared learned much about Western traditions, customs and way of life from Abba Pantelewon. In addition to this, it is said that Yared visited Constantinople twice. Yared himself tells us as follows:"..I went to Rome [Second Rome, Constatinople] where I saw a Church, I knew her and loved her like my own sister, a few years later,
I visited her again during the time she was bathing in the river Tigre." Yared composed all the music used for the Ethiopian church’s chants and developed classical musical art forms in the sixth century A.D. The music all speaks of the Creation and the prophecies and the life of Christ – His Advent, His Incarnation, Nativity, His great works and saving acts, His Baptism, Crucifixion, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, and His Second Coming. The music also reflects the national expression and Ideals of Ethiopian people. It is believed that some of the songs, especially those from the Old Testament, were used for singing and praying by many devoted Ethiopian churchmen before Christ. Therefore we must admit the existence of the art of music in Ethiopia during Old Testament times. It was one of the creative works of the African Empire. Notwithstanding Saint Yared of Axum must be credited for most of the music of the Ethiopian Church.Yared complied the famous Mazbaga Deggua (Hymn of Sorrow). It includes three main stages:

"Geez," the first stage of the song;

"Uzil," the second stage, to be sung together with the first;

"Ararai," a sorrowful, plaintive song.

The Mazbaga Deggua believed to have been written by Yared himself, can be found today in one of the oldest monasteries (the Tana Krikos Monastery). Yared begins his works with the words, "...Halleluia to the Father, Halleluia to the Son, Halleluia to the Holy Spirit." His divine composition is from the Old and New Testaments
and from the works of the church fathers Saint Athanasius, Saint John Chrsysostom and Saint Cyril.
His work is intricately done, with words suitable for prayers and
the Glorification of God. Though he visited Second Rome, his work is uniquely Ethiopian, bearing no resemblance to Western Notation. It consists of Geez syballic characters and projects the tradition and culture of the Ethiopian people. The different
sounds of his chants indicate the joy or sorrow and brave determination of the Christian Ethiopian.
Saint Yared lived between the time of Emperor Kaleb and his son Emperor Gabre Masqual. Yared gained information about the Western world not only from Abba Pantelewon
but also from Abba Aragawi and Abba Yesehaq (Gerima).The Tarika Nagast which means "History of Kings," and Gadla Aragawi state that Emperor Gabre Masqal, Abba Aragawi and Saint Yared lived at the same period as close friends. Emperor Gabre Masqal, Abba Aragawi and Saint Yared traveled thoughout Tigre, Begemidir and to Lake Tana together. After two years at Lake Tana, they went to Gaient and built the church of
Saint Mariam at Zur Amba. It is said that the Emperor, Abba Aragawi and Yared, while going to the hill on which they built the church,
had difficulty finding their way until a guide from God came to them and said to Abba Aragawi, "...Zur Abba Mengale Misraq...." which means "...Abba, turn to the east; you will find the way to the hill." The place is now called Zur Amba because of this miracle, for through the grace of God,
they were able to find the right way and to build the church there.

The Saint Anba Khail (Mickel) 46th Patriarch of Alexandria

On March 12th, 767 A.D. the Holy Father Anba Khail (Mickel), the forty-sixth Patriarch of the See Of St. Mark, departed. This father was a monk in the monastery of St. Macarius and he was knowledgeable and ascetic. When Patriarch Theodorus the forty fifth Patriarch, his predecessor, departed the bishops of Lower Egypt (Delta) and the priests of Alexandria gathered in the church of Anba Shenouda in Cairo.
A Dispute arose among them about who was fit, and finally they called Abba Mousa, Bishop of Ouseem, and Abba Petros, Bishop of Mariout. When they arrived, Abba Mousa found the priests of Alexandria obstinate, he rebuked them for that, and dismissed them that night so their minds and souls might calm down. When they met the next day he mentioned to them the name of the priest Khail the monk in the monastery of St. Macarius. They unanimously agreed to his choice and obtained a decree from the Governor of Egypt to the elders of the wilderness of Sheahat (Wadi El-Natroun) to bring him from the monastery.
On their way, when they arrived to Geza they found Father Khail coming along with some elders to fulfill a certain task connected with the monastery. They seized him, bound him, and took him to Alexandria where they ordained him Patriarch on the 17th day of Tute, year 460 A.M. (September 14th, year 743 A.D.).
It Happened that there was a drought in the city of Alexandria for two years, and on that day the rain fell heavily for three days and the people of Alexandria considered that a good omen.During the reign of Marawan the last of the Khalifas of the Umayyad rule and during the governorship of Hefs Ebn El-Walid and during the days of this father many great tribulations fell upon the believers. A large number of the believers fled from Egypt and the number of those who denied Christ was twenty-four thousand, and because of that the Patriarch was in great sorrow until God perished those were responsible for that.
This father endured many difficulties from Abdel Malek Ebn-Marawan the new governor. He imprisoned, beat, chained, and tortured him with many other ways of painful tortures, then he released him. The Patriarch went to Upper Egypt to collect alms and when he came back, the Governor took the money from him and threw him back in prison.

King Keriakos of Nubia

When Keriakos King of Nubia knew that, he was extremely enraged, he prepared one hundred thousand soldiers and marched down to Egypt. Going through Upper Egypt he slew all the Muslims that he met, until he reached El Fostat (Cairo), he camped around the city threatening to destroy it.
When Abdel Malek the Governor saw the army surrounding the city and that all this had taken place for the sake of the Patriarch, he became terrified, so he released him from prison with great honor. The Governor entreated the Patriarch to mediate peace between him and the king of Nuba (Nubia). The Patriarch agreed to his request, so he went with some of the clergy to meet the king and asked him to accept the peace from abdel Malek which the king accepted and returned back.Abdel Malek respected the Christians and lifted up all his retribution. When the father the Patriarch prayed for the sake of the Governor's daughter, who was possessed with an unclean spirit, and with his prayers the unclean spirit left her, the Governor increased his respect for the Christians.
This father debated with Cosmas the Melchite Patriarch concerning the Hypostatic Union: The Chalcedonian formula of the Pope of Rome. Patriarch Khail wrote him a letter, signed it along with his bishops, which said in it: "...It is not right to say that in Christ there is two distinct Natures or two distinct Persons after the Hypostatic Union." Cosmas was convinced with that and asked to become a bishop under the authority of Abba Khail. When Abba Khail completed his strife, he departed to the Lord whom he loved after he had spent on the Chair of St. Mark twenty-three and half years.
Teaching

E.O.C

The first community The Emperor visited after being greeted at the Piarco International Airport by Prime Minister Eric Williams, was the Borough of Arima....